Moffitt Cancer Center Researcher Awarded American Lung Association Grant to Study Lung Cancer

The American Lung Association is pleased to recognize Alex Jaeger, Ph.D., assistant member of the Molecular Oncology Department at Moffitt Cancer Center, with the Lung Cancer Discovery Award for his research on lung cancer.

In total, the American Lung Association Research Institute announced a $22 million research investment in the past year, making it one of the largest programs in the country focused on lung health. The Lung Association funded 139 research grants, including the Airways Clinical Research Centers (ACRC), and strategic research partnerships focused on finding ways to identify, treat and cure lung disease.

“This year, the American Lung Association is celebrating 120 years of funding lifesaving research. Lung Association researchers have achieved major milestones, including helping end the devastation of tuberculosis in this country, saving millions of lives of premature babies with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), supporting research on COVID-19 and much more,” said Brenda Connolly, member of the Lung Association’s Gulf Coast Florida Board and department administrator for the Thoracic Oncology and Sarcoma Programs at Moffitt Cancer Center. “Here in Florida, lung cancer research is critical. More than 18,600 Floridians are estimated to be diagnosed with lung cancer this year alone.”

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths. Around 25 percent of people with lung cancer have a KRAS gene mutation, which is associated with accelerated cell growth that can lead to cancer. A new class of drugs targeting KRAS mutations has emerged, but many patients experience drug resistance. Dr. Jaeger’s research seeks to advance lung cancer treatment by studying KRAS inhibition and the immune system.

“KRAS inhibitors are poised to become a mainstay in lung cancer treatment for years to come, but much work is needed to identify therapeutic combinations that will improve durable responses in patients,” said Dr. Jaeger. “In this work, we aim to identify how KRAS inhibitors alter antigen presentation in lung cancer to identify rationally designed, next generation immunotherapies to improve responses to KRAS inhibitors.”

“Moffitt Cancer Center is a leader in cancer research and treatment,” said Steven Riddle, executive director, Tampa for the American Lung Association in Florida. “We are honored to welcome Dr. Jaeger to the elite American Lung Association Research Institute team.”

In the past decade, four researchers from Moffitt Cancer Center, including Dr. Jaeger, have been awarded Lung Association research grants. Research projects funded by the Lung Association are carefully selected through rigorous scientific peer review and awardees represent the investigation of a wide range of complex issues related to lung health. Connolly was not part of the Lung Association’s grant review process. 

Awards were given different categories addressing many aspects of lung disease; American Lung Association/AAAAI Allergic Respiratory Diseases Award, American Lung Association/ATS/CHEST Foundation Respiratory Health Equity Research Award, Catalyst Award, Emerging Respiratory Diseases (formerly, COVID-19 Respiratory Virus Research Award), Public Health & Public Policy Research Award, Hastings Innovation Award for Interstitial Lung Disease, Dalsemer Interstitial Lung Disease Award, Innovation Award and the Lung Cancer Discovery Award.

The Lung Association is currently accepting applications for its 2025-2026 research awards and grants cycle. For more information about the active research funding opportunities, visit Lung.org/awards. For more information about the new grant awardees and the entire American Lung Association Research Team, visit Lung.org/research-team.